Film-actuating mechanism.



C. R. UEBELMESSER.

FILM AUTUATING MECHANISM.

APPLIGATIONIPILED .TAN.9, 1909.

Patented May 30, 1911.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

R O T N E V N U. R. UEBELMESSER.

FILM AGTUATING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 9, 1909,

I Patented May 30, 1911.

3 SHEET88HEET 2.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY G. R. UEBELMESSER. FILM AGTUATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 11111. 9,1909.

Patented'May 30, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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CHARLES R. UEBELMESSEB, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN MOVINGPICTURE MACHINE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FILM-ACTUATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1911.

Application filed January 9, 1909. Serial No. 471,414.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. UnBnL- MESSER, asubject of the Emperor ofGermany, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city,county, and State of New York, United States of America, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Film-Actuating Mechanism, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in film actuating mechanism, such,for example, as those used in moving picture machines.

t is especially adaptable for use in conjunction with an apparatus usingan endless film.

I will describe my invention in the following specification and setforth the novel features thereof in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly insection, of a moving picture machine with my invention applied thereto.Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of a detail of construction showingsome of,

the driving gearing. The section in this figure is taken on the line 2-2of Fig. 5. In Fig. 3 this same gearing and some of its associated partsare shown in side elevation with a part thereof drawn in section. Fig. 4is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is asectional plan view of the same device with the section taken on theline 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of an adjustable guidingroller which I use in conjunction with the other partsof the device.

Like charactersof reference designate corresponding parts in all of thefigures.

1O designates the base of the apparatus. 11 is the frame of a movingpicture machine which is mounted upon and supported by this base.

12 is a crank by means of which gearing 13 and various parts of theapparatus may be driven.

The different parts of the moving picture machine are not more fullydescribed as they form no part of the present invention, but enough ofthem are shown to fully disclose the invention.

The gearing 13 is arranged to drive a horizontally disposedsprocket-wheel 14 which is connected with a similarly disposedsprocketwheel 15 by means of a chain 16.

20 designates a film-supporting base'which.

is suitably aflixed to the base 10.

21 is a vertical spindle supported by the base 20, with its upper endsupported by a bracket 17 projecting from the frame 11 of the machine. Ashoulder 22 holds this spindle or shaft against downward movement, butprovides for its free rotation. The sprocket-wheel 15 is aflixed to thelower end of the spindle 21. Directly above this sprocket-wheel and alsoaflixed to the spindle 21 is a pinion 23.

, Supported in the base 20 are a plurality of shafts 24. On one end ofeach of these shafts is a pinion 25, all of which are in mesh with thepinion 23. It is to be noted that the axes of these horizontalshafts arenot radial, but that they are tangential to a circle through the centerof the pinions 25. Afiixed to each of the shafts 24 is a roller 26 whichmay be cylindrical, but is preferably made in the form of a truncatedcone. The upper surface of the base 20 is cut away to clear theserollers. The roller shafts 24 maybe set on an incline as shown in Fig. 3so that the upper surfaces of the rollers which project through thesurface of the base 20ers horizontal.

On the base 20 is a vertical film guiding spool 27, the upper portion ofwhich forms an overhanging flange 28. This spool is 1'0- tatablysupported, and that portion of its surface which is adjacent to thepicturebearing portion of the film is cut away as at 29 so that the filmin passing over cannot become injured by its contact therewith.

The base 20 is provided with a plurality of slots 30 in which areadjustable film guiding rollers 31, the construction of which is shownsomewhat in detail in Fig. 6. Each of these comprises a spindle 32having a knurled head 33. The diameter of its lower end is slightlyreduced and is threaded to fit into afianged nut 34. 35 is a washerbetween which and the head 33 of the'spindle is loosely supported theroller proper 36. It may be seen that these rollers may be moved in orout in their respective slots and securely held to the base 20 at thedesired points by tightening the spindles in the nuts 34.

The film is designated in the drawings by 40. It is passed into themachine through a fiat twisted metallic chute 41 and between a pair ofrollers 42. It is then threaded down through the machine, over thedriving sprockets and mechanism, and out between a pair of horizontalrollers 43. Then it is turned over into a vertical position and passedunder the flange 28 on the guiding spool 27 and insideof the verticalguiding rolls. Most of the convolutions of the filmroll will then restupon the upper surfaces of the rollers 26. The inner convolutions of thefilm-roll will, however, be lifted up in the form of a spiral cone aboutthe spindle 21 to join that part of the film which has been passedthrough the chute 4:1. The ends of the film may be cemented or otherwisejoined together so that it will be endless.

14: is a metallic box or cover for that part of the film which restsupon the rollers 26, and 45 is a cone-shaped extension of this coverwhich incloses the other convolutions of the film up to the chute 41.The film then is entirely covered from the point Where it leaves themachine to the point where it enters it again, and as itmay be suitablycovered inside of the machine itself, all danger of exposure to fire iseliminated.

The operation of this device is as follows: When the machine is operatedto pass the pictures on the film over a given orifice in rapidsuccession in the usual manner it will be drawn into the machine throughthe chute 41 and will pass out between the rollers 48. The rollers 26will be rotated by the motive power of the machine at a rate of speedproportional to that at which the film is passed through the machine.The rollers 26 will cause the film-coil which rests upon them to berotated about the spindle 21. ner in which the rollers are set has atendency to drive the out-er convolutions of the film-coil in toward thespindle, thus causing the film to be wound up upon the coil. At the sametime the other convolutions of the filmcoil are moved in toward thecenter by the rollers totake the place of those which are removed fromthe inner portion of the filmcoil and drawn into the machine. The innerdiameter of therollers 26 is greater than their outer diameter so thatthey will drive the convolutions of the film-coil which are nearer thespindle at a greater rate of linear speed than they drive the outerconvolutions. This is for the purpose of keeping the various layers ofthe film-coil away from each other. At the same time, the innerconvolutions of the film-coil will be raised up around the spindle anddrawn into the machine through the chute 41. The spindle 21 may bestationary, but I prefer to have it rotate in unison with the film-coilto avoid all possibility of the film catching or becoming scratchedthereon.

The guiding spool 27 is provided for the purpose of properly positioningthe film on the rollers 26 as it comes out of the machine. The guidingrolls-36 are provided for the purpose of maintaining the film-coilwithin the desired space, and as the films are of variable lengths thepositions of these rollers The manare made adjustable so that they maybe moved in or out at will to properly guide the film-coils of difierentdiameters.

One of the great advantages of this device is that the film is wound andunwound withtating the roller and thereby imparting lin.

ear movement to the film.

4. A film-actuating mechanism comprising a plurality of rollers uponwhich one of the edges of a film is arranged to rest, and means forrotating said rollers together and thereby imparting linear movement tothe film in desired directions.

5. A film-actuating mechanism comprising a plurality of rollers disposedabout a center, said rollers being arranged to support the convolutionsof a film-coil by one of the edges of the'film, means for rotating saidrollers .andthereby rotating the film-coil and winding the film upon thefilm-coil.

6. A film-actuating mechanism comprising a central vertical spindle, aplurality of rollers disposed about said spindle, said rollers beingarranged to support the convolutions of a film-coil by one of the edgesof the film, means onthe spindle for rotating said rollers and therebyrotating the film-coil and winding the film upon the film-coil, saidrollers being disposed obliquely tothe radii from said spindle throughthe outer ends of the axes of the rollers so that they move theconvolutions of the filmcoil toward the central spindle.

7. A film-actuating mechanism comprising a central vertical rotatablespindle, a plurality of rollers disposed about said spindle, saidrollers being arranged to support the convolutions of a film-coil by oneof the edges of thefilm, means for imparting the rotation of the spindleto said rollers, said rollers being arranged to rotate the filmcoil andto wind the film upon the outside of the film-coihand means forunwinding the film-coil from its inner convolutions.

8. A film-actuating mechanism comprising a film-supporting base, acentral vertical rotatable spindle, a plurality of rollers disposedabout said spindle, said rollers having 9. A film actuating mechanismcomprising a film-supporting base, a central vertical spindle, means forrotating said spindle, a plurality of rollers of resilient materialdisposed about said spindle, said rollers having their upper surfacesprojecting through said base at right-angles to the spindle and arrangedto support the convolutions of a film-coil by one of the edges of thefilm, gearing arranged to impart the rotation of 'the spindle to therollers, said rollers being arranged to rotate the film-coil and to windthe film upon theoutside of the film-coil, the rollers being so disposedthat they move the convolutions of the film-coil toward the spindle, theinner diameter of said rollers being greater than their outer diameter,

- means for unwinding the film-coil from its inner convolutions, andguiding rollers ad:

justably supported upon said base.

10. In combination with a moving pic- ,ture machine, a film-actuatingmechanism comprising means for driving a film by frictional contact withthe edge thereof.

11. In combination with a moving picture machine, afilm-actuatingmechanism comprising a rotatable member arranged to frietionally engagewith the edges of a film to lmpart linear movement thereto.

12. In combination with a moving picture machine, means for actuatingsaid ma chine, a film-actuating mechanism comprising a plurality ofrollers upon which one of the edges of a film is arranged to rest, andmeans for rotating said rollers together from said machine and therebyimparting linear movement to the film indesired directions.

13. A moving picture machine, driving mechanism therefor, and means forrotating said mechanism, combined with a film-actu ating mechanismcomprising a plurality of rollers arranged to. frictionally engage withthe edge of a film, and means for rotating said rollers from the drivingmechanism.

14. A moving picture machine, driving mechanism therefor, and means-forrotating said mechanism, combined with a film-actuating mechanismcomprising a plurality of rollers arranged to frictionally engage withthe edge of afilm, and intermediate mecha-' nism for imparting rotationto said rollers fro-m the driving mechanism at speedsproportional tothat of the driving mechanism.

15. A moving picture machine, mechanism therefor arranged to drive afilm through said machine, and means for rotating said mechanism todrive the film, combined with a film-actuating mechanism comprising aplurality of rollers disposed about a center, said rollers beingarranged. to support the convolutions of a film-coil by one of the edgesof the film, and means for rotating said rollers at a rate of speedproportional to the speed of the film through the machine and thereforerotating the film-coil and winding the film upon the film-coil.

, 16. A moving picture machine, mechanism therefor arranged to drive afilm through said machine, and means for rotating said mechanism todrive the film, combined with a film-actuating mechanism outside of saidmachine, said actuating mechanism comprising a central vertical spindle,a plurality of rollers disposed about said spindle, said rollers beingarranged to support the convolutions of a film-coil by one of the edgesof a film, intermediate mechanism for imparting rotation to said rollersfrom the driving mechanism at speeds proportional to that of the filmthrough the machine and thereby rotating the film-coil and winding thefilm from the machine upon the film-coil, said rollers being disposedobliquely to the radii from said spindle through the outer ends of theaxes of the rollers so that they move the convolutions of the film-coiltoward said central spindle.

17 A moving picture machine, mechanism therefor arranged to drive a filmthrough said machine, and means for rotating said mechanism to drive thefilm, combined with a film-actuating mechanism outside of said machine,said actuating mechanism comprising a central vertical rotatablespindle, a

plurality of rollers disposed about said spindle, said rollers beingarranged to support the convolutions of a film-coil by one of the edgesof the film, intermediate mechanism for imparting rotation to saidrollers from the driving mechanism at speeds proportional to that of thefilm through the machine, said rollers being arranged to rotate thefilm-coil and to wind the film from the machine upon the outside of thefilm-coil, said film-driving mechanism in the machine being arranged tounwind the film-coil from its inner convolutions and to draw the filminto the machine.

'18. A moving picture machine, mechanism therefor arranged to drive afilm through said machine, and means for rotating said mechanism todrive the film combined with a film-actuating mechanism outside of saidmachine, said actuating mechanism comprising a base, a-central verticalrotatable spindle, a plurality of rollers of resilient material disposedabout said spindle, said rollers having their upper surfaces projectingthrough said base at right-angles to the spindle and arranged to supportthe convolul coil, the rollers bein tions of a film-coil by one of theedges of the film, intermediate mechanism for imparting rotation to theyspindle from the driving mechanism at speeds proportional to that of thefilm through the machine, gearing for transmitting the rotation ofthespindle to the rollers, said rollers being arranged to rotate thefilm-coil and to wind the film from the machine upon the outside of thefilmdisposed obliquely to the radii from sai spindle through the outerends of the axes of the rollers so that they move the convolutions ofthe film-coil toward the central spindle, the inner diame- 1 5 ter ofsaid rollers being greater than their outer diameter, and means forcausing. the actuating mechanism of the machine to unwind the film-coilfrom its inner convolutions and to draw the film into the machine.

19. A moving picture machine, mechanism Within said machinearranged todrive a film through said machine, and. means for rotating saidmechanism'to drive the film, combined with a film-actuating mechanismoutside of said machine, said actuating mechanism comprising a base, acentral vertical rotatable spindle, a plurality of rollers of resilientmaterial disposed about said splndle,

said rollers having their upper surfac; projectin through said base atright-an es to the spindle and arranged to support th convolutions of afilm-coil by one of the edges of the film, intermediate mechanism forimparting rotation to the s indle from the driving mechanism at spee sproportional to that of the film through the machine, gearing fortransmitting the rotation of the spindle to the-rollers, said rollersbeing arranged to rotate the film-coil and to wind the film from themachine upon the outside of the film-coil, the rollers being disposedobliquely to the radii from said spindle through the outer ends of theaxes-of the rollers so that they move the convolutio'ns of the film-coiltoward the central spindle, the inner diameter of. said rollers beinggreater than their outer diameter, means for'causing the actuatingmechanism of the machine to unwind the film-coil from its innerconvolutions to v draw the film into the machine, guiding rollers adjustably supported upon said base, and a metallic cover for thefilm-coil.

20. A film-actuating device comprising a base and a series of positivelydriven rollers therein having their upper surfaces in a plane atright-angles to the axis of a filmcoil, and means for delivering thefilm to said rollers with its edge in contact with said surfaces.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name "to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES R. UEBELMESSER, V

Witnesses: Y

ELLA TUoH, CYRUs P. Jones.

